Yaoki
Palm sized Japanese commercial rover with two wide wheels that can right itself, flown on the IM-2 mission but never deployed.
| Maker | Dymon |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Launched | 2025 |
| Status | Lost |
| Mass | 0.498 kg |
| Actuation | Two wide wheels on a self righting body |
| Power | Onboard battery |
| Sensors | Forward and rear cameras |
| Autonomy | Teleoperated with short command loops |
Yaoki weighs under half a kilogram and is built around two oversized wheels on a rigid body, so it keeps driving whichever way up it lands. Dymon developed it as a low cost commercial scout for lunar caves and shadowed terrain, controlled from Earth through a lander relay. It flew on the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission in early 2025, but the Athena lander came to rest on its side in a shadowed crater and none of its rovers could be released.
Of note
- Named for a Japanese saying about rising after every fall
- Undeployed after the IM-2 lander toppled in March 2025